Geopolitics and mine waste: An overview and future research directions

This paper examines a critical yet underexplored perspective on resource geopolitics by focusing on mine waste–one of the world's largest waste streams by volume. Traditional studies of resource geopolitics emphasise the governance of raw materials production, trade and supply chains. Our approach positions mine waste as a factor shaping twenty-first century geopolitics and global power dynamics. To demonstrate the analytical value of making this connection, we explore two domains: geopolitical strategies and alliances; and sovereignty and justice. We illustrate how mine waste both reflects and reinforces global inequalities, revealing power dynamics relating to the economic and environmental burdens placed on vulnerable regions and the sacrifice zones created by market and regulatory gaps. New geopolitical strategies such as on-shoring and friend-shoring reallocate mine waste-related liabilities, exposing the intersection of sovereignty, justice, and international relations. We conclude that mine waste is a strategic liability and a tool of state power, pivotal to foreign policy and geopolitical dominance in the context of critical resource competition. As contemporary geopolitics continues to evolve, we call for interdisciplinary research that better reconciles the global demand for minerals with the rights and interests of host countries, Indigenous peoples and local communities.